Moving along, as though I haven’t been MIA for the past three weeks. (Oops!) Last weekend J and I headed to our local Men’s Wearhouse to pick out tuxes for the fellas. We wanted something traditional but not too stuffy looking. We also knew that we wanted vests and Euro ties (neckties). I didn’t want to pick green vests, my concern being that it would be too matchy-matchy with the bridesmaids dresses.

We ended up picking a two-button, notched lapel black tux. J will wear an ivory vest/tie/shirt to match my dress. The groomsmen will wear “latte” colored vests, which is really a light brown/tan color, with ivory shirts. They had chocolate brown vests, which is our other color, but we didn’t like the way they looked with the black tuxes. Our fathers will wear black vests/ties with white shirts. I think the resulting look is pretty slick and matches our rustic/natural color scheme pretty well.

Now that I’ve finished asking all of my wonderful bridesmaids to be in the wedding (and they all said yes!) I figured an introductory post was in order. First, there’s my maid of honor. This was never a position that was in doubt, the obvious choice was my fabulous younger sister, A. A is easily one of my most favorite people in the world. She is funny, sweet, gorgeous, and not to mention, she’s one sharp cookie – she’s in her first year of law school AND being my MOH! 😉

Next we have BM K, who I went to college with. We pledged our sorority together and have been pretty much inseparable since then, miles apart be damned! K is smart, practical and gets my zany sense of humor. She’s also in the middle of planning her own wedding right now! Then there’s BM E. The only people I’m still in touch with that have known me longer than BM E are my family. We went to kindergarten together, and we’re just as close as ever almost 22 years later! She is super stylish, creative, outgoing and one of the most supportive people I know. She’s a graphic designer and will be designing our invitations! J’s sister, BM A, rounds out the lovely ladies. We actually went to college together, but didn’t realize it until J and I started dating. BM A is outgoing, fun and always up for an adventure – whether it’s going to Costa Rica for two years with the Peace Corps or checking out disco night at the local skating rink!

Last, but most certainly not least, I will be having a BridesMAN, as well, my dear friend K. J and I are actually sharing BMan K between our parties. He’ll be doing the pre-wedding fun with the guys (so, bachelor party, not bachelorette party) and then standing on my side the day of the wedding. BMan K and I met in college and hit it off right away. He’s wicked smart, creative, hilarious, and quite the mastermind in the kitchen! (BMan K and BM A are planning to have a cupcake bake-off!) Even though he now lives several states away, we are still in very close touch and he and J have become good friends as well.

We’re planning to go dress shopping for the ladies the second weekend in March, when MOH A will be home from law school on spring break. Thankfully, the rest of the girls are local! (Obviously, we’re not dragging BMan K dress shopping!) I’m planning on picking a designer, color, and length and then letting the girls pick their own dresses. They all have very different body types and styles, so I want them to select something they’ll be comfortable in. Right now, I’m leaning heavily towards Dessy’s After Six line, tea length, in moss green. The color is exactly what I’m looking for, and the collection is expansive enough that I think each of the ladies will be able to easily find something she likes. My plan is to look up bridal stores in the area that carry the After Six line, and make appointments at several of them, and we can keep our eyes open for any other designers that pique our interest while we’re shopping. I also like the European celadon color by Bill Levkoff, but he has a smaller, pricier selection.

Just to give you an idea, here are a few of the many dresses that they could select from the After Six collection…